Gildedspirit 0 Posted April 23, 2020 Hi everyone. I just got a brand new 721 directly from US Cutter last week. I'm new to this. I upgraded from a Cricut to take my business to the next level. In trying to set the machine up I pressed the TEST button and this is what I got. Any help would be appreciated as I'm losing money with this thing right now as this is my peak season. I emailed US Cutter a week ago and havent heard back. Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted April 23, 2020 first 32 things to check 1 make sure all the rollers on the back of the carriage are firmly seated behind the rail - they come off in shipping from time to time 2 pre feed your vinyl - never had the plotter pull from the roll 3 don't mess with the roller pressure - the marks are normal and go away after the vinyl is applied 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darcshadow 1,626 Posted April 23, 2020 And I hate to tell you this, but the MH is only an upgrade over a cricut in terms of size and maybe software you can use with it. The Cricut has better cut detail. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice&dice 2,450 Posted April 23, 2020 Ruh Roh. ( spoken with Scooby Doo voice ) "as I'm losing money with this thing right now ..." Send it back, under warranty. Order the SC2 instead. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arty-rc 719 Posted April 23, 2020 Make sure that the rollers are on the grid areas of the machine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gildedspirit 0 Posted April 23, 2020 I'll 1 hour ago, Dakotagrafx said: Ill try #2 tonight but that's kind of defeating the purpose of the machine if it cant feed right from the roll isnt it? #1 and 3 aren't an issue. Thank you first 32 things to check 1 make sure all the rollers on the back of the carriage are firmly seated behind the rail - they come off in shipping from time to time 2 pre feed your vinyl - never had the plotter pull from the roll 3 don't mess with the roller pressure - the marks are normal and go away after the vinyl is applied Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gildedspirit 0 Posted April 23, 2020 1 hour ago, darcshadow said: And I hate to tell you this, but the MH is only an upgrade over a cricut in terms of size and maybe software you can use with it. The Cricut has better cut detail. The extra size was really what I needed. I'm happy with the cricut overall. but I make bigger things than it can handle and I'm tired of paying someone else to cut them for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gildedspirit 0 Posted April 23, 2020 23 minutes ago, arty-rc said: Make sure that the rollers are on the grid areas of the machine. I did and they are. thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gildedspirit 0 Posted April 23, 2020 41 minutes ago, slice&dice said: Ruh Roh. ( spoken with Scooby Doo voice ) "as I'm losing money with this thing right now ..." Send it back, under warranty. Order the SC2 instead. Definitely not an option. out of my price range. Its this or nothing. even ordering this gave me heart palpitations! Haha. I'm just a small part time one guy operation making cornhole boards mostly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darcshadow 1,626 Posted April 23, 2020 Do you have the pressure rollers over the grit rollers? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gildedspirit 0 Posted April 23, 2020 7 minutes ago, darcshadow said: Do you have the pressure rollers over the grit rollers? No clue what that means unfortunately so I'll look into it. Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted April 23, 2020 11 minutes ago, Gildedspirit said: No clue what that means unfortunately so I'll look into it. Thanks When you don’t have vinyl you can see if the rubber rollers are over the knurled bottom rollers, sometimes people get them I between Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted April 23, 2020 32 minutes ago, Gildedspirit said: I'll No even with y graphtec and when I had the $13,000 rolands I pre fed the material. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gildedspirit 0 Posted April 23, 2020 2 hours ago, Dakotagrafx said: When you don’t have vinyl you can see if the rubber rollers are over the knurled bottom rollers, sometimes people get them I between Oh ok thanks. I'll check when I get home. would hate to send this thing back if it's just user error. When I googled this some people said it was a motherboard issue. But I havent heard from US Cutter directly so I figured I'd try troubleshooting some other things to try and eliminate the user error possibility. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dakotagrafx 7,297 Posted April 23, 2020 personally after 12 years I have never seen that problem caused my mainboard - Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MZ SKEETER 4,708 Posted April 23, 2020 also make sure that the wheels of the carriage head are firmly down in the rail, They sometimes come out in shipping. And just to get you going in the right direction, this is the correct way to set your blade depth. Too many incorrect instructions out there. This works. This is correct way to set your blade depth. To start with, you should set your blade depth correctly, by taking the blade holder out of the machine, and firmly cut across a piece of scrap vinyl, you will be cutting. You should only be cutting the vinyl and barely a mark on wax paper backing, Adjust blade to get there, Then put the blade holder back in machine, and use the force of the machine to get there, same results, only cutting the vinyl and barely a mark in wax paper backing. You should just barely see and feel your blade tip out of the blade holder. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice&dice 2,450 Posted April 23, 2020 Pre-feed the amount of vinyl you need to cut (a few feet) and run some letters you typed right into the program. (VinylMaster?) Get back to us regarding what you discover, because this might eliminate the "user error" part. SC 34" is $413. (reconditioned machine, with 1-year warranty) -- MH is listed at $330. That's a difference of $83. You said this purchase was intended "to take my business to the next level." Eighty-Three dollars is a problem for your business? Hmmmmm, that seems like you don't HAVE a business of any level. What you have is a Chinese-made machine that's perhaps defective, requiring a return to the seller which sold it under the assumed terms that it not encounter that problem. If the advice provided here for troubleshooting fails to correct this (the pre-feed thing might work) then what more do you want from the peanut gallery here? I don't want to appear harsh, but we are volunteers and do not speak for nor represent the company. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
darcshadow 1,626 Posted April 23, 2020 That star in square design is the default test of the cutter, no software involved. If that isn't coming out right nothing will. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haumana 1,220 Posted April 24, 2020 The grit rollers are on the bottom, and pinch rollers on top. If you want to pull directly from the roll, that's entirely up to you, but it's not recommended as it cause unnecessary drag on the rollers to pull the vinyl through the cut window, not to mention that whatever cutting drift issue you will encounter, will probably just make it more off. Honestly, if USC will do an upgrade, then you should see if you can at least get the SC 2. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slice&dice 2,450 Posted April 24, 2020 6 hours ago, darcshadow said: That star in square design is the default test of the cutter, no software involved. If that isn't coming out right nothing will. Yeah, but I wanted some entertainment, and figured a full-blown Text sample cut would provide something to marvel at. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites